This invention relates to a liquid dispensing and more particularly to an aerosol health and beauty products applicator apparatus for general use and benefit to physically disadvantaged persons.
Many persons, including the elderly, arthritic, amputee, paralytic and bedridden persons are unable to care for their hygienic, health and grooming needs. They are unable to do so because many body areas are inaccessible or difficult to access for applying products such as sun screens, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, toilet waters, body lotions and medications.
The common methods of applying these products with hands or gauze fails these persons because of muscular and joint limitations. Another problem is that they are unable to open many of the containers of the health and beauty products. Consequently they rely on others, such as nurses, friends and family members for meeting their health, hygienic and grooming needs.
When help is unavailable, these needs are often unmet or met only after long delays. Since elderly and bedridden persons may generate strong body odors they need frequent scrubbing and grooming to avoid offending others.
In many cases, elderly and physically handicapped persons are confined in institutions, such as nursing homes, because they are unable to fill their health, hygienic and grooming needs. This reduces their quality of life and increases overall health costs.
Frequently, members of the general public need to relieve or apply lotions and medications to difficult to reach pruritic xe2x80x9citchingxe2x80x9d body areas. The upper and middle regions of the back are examples of such areas. Other areas present problems of access for applying sunscreens, or scrubbing for cleanliness before or after swimming or during bathing. An absence of sunscreen lotions or oils over the entire back region may result in severe sunburn.
The present invention overcomes all of the foregoing deficiencies by providing an improved, efficient, and easy to use apparatus and method for applying health, hygienic and beauty products.
The invention is suitable for use in private homes, nursing facilities, hospitals, while traveling, and at the beach. In addition to improving the health, hygiene and grooming of elderly and handicapped persons, overall health care costs can be lowered by reducing the services of health care professionals and employees, such as nurses and hospital attendants.
The invention generally comprises an aerosol container having an outlet end portion attached to one end portion of an extensible elongated tubular member, an applicator attached to an opposite end portion of the tubular member and a means within the tubular member for rotating about three mutually perpendicular axes. The applicator may be any of a variety of devices, such as an open cell sponge, brush, or loofah.
In a first aspect of the invention, an aerosol spray is dispersed through apertures in the tubular member into an open cell sponge. In a second aspect, an aerosol spray is discharged through apertures in the elongated tubular member on to a selected portion of a body.
The additional objects, features and benefits will be apparent by reference to the drawings and ensuing detailed description of a preferred embodiment which discloses the best mode contemplated in carrying out the invention. The exclusive rights which are claimed are set forth in the numbered claims following the detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
In employing the teaching of the present invention, a plurality of alternate constructions can be adopted to achieve the desired results and capabilities. In this disclosure, only several embodiments are discussed. However, these embodiments are intended as examples and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.